Friday, January 4, 2013

Siem Reap gay scene

On my last night at Siem Reap, I decided to check out the gay bars listed near the entertainment hub, Pub Street. Pub Street is fun, fun, fun! And I say this just by walking through the walking street. Establishments are actually not dimly lit and seedy.

And I didn't even have a hard time looking for the bars listed: Miss Wong and Linga Bar. They were on two parallel streets, streets that were smaller and even more intimate than Pub St. I first saw Miss Wong but wasn't enticed due to the primarily straight crowd at the time I went there (past 930pm). So I sauntered to the other street and easily found Linga Bar. This was more my style, with gay patrons just lounging around and waiters in tank tops.

The music was mix 90s and 2000's, which was fine by me. The clients included senior Caucasians and twinkie locals. I mustered the courage to must go in and sit at the bar. I noticed one particular twinkie local was quite gwapo. But I maintained my suplado attitude and just ordered red wine.

That twinkie was with other friends yet he sad next to me at the bar. He would casually glance and I would just nod to acknowledge. But he really was quite attractive, so different from the locals around.

I was sensing that he was just building up towards saying hello. So I decided to drop the supladito-ness. "Where from?" in that characteristic accent was the first line.

And probably the last complete English sentence he could utter. He wo uld just nod and try to express himself but he simply couldn't. But we got by with sign language and a sprinkling of word like "dance like?" He gestured that he would show me the clubs so I decided to just join him.

We walked along Pub street towards the Art Market street, crossing a creek. We ended up in HipHop Bar, a dance club or disco, as he called it. We stayed for a beer. And just looked at each other in between swaying to the beat. Gwapo talaga siya. Sayang lang kasi twinkie talaga.

He wanted to bring me home but I had to beg off. I wasn't about to just jump into bed. Besides, I had to wake up really early the following day to catch the sunrise at Angkor Wat.

He took me to the other bar, Miss Wong, on his motorbike. And after another round of drinks, I had to say goodnight.

He gave me his FB account, and upon adding him, I realized he did some twinkie modelling on the side. Oh di ba?

...and all these years that I have "known" you from a far distance, I thought that you were into twinks. Oh well, assumptions can sometimes be quite dead wrong it could lead one to keel over and fall.

I also read that you are not with your lover any more. 'Tis such a sad turn of events. It's interesting how your readers have consoled you on this parting, even I got taken by it when I read your words today. I wonder though how the parting was for him. Ah, the thoughts of those who live your life in their minds vicariously.

Here's a happy new year to you mister. (Pardon me for I never really knew your name, so I will simply address you generically.) May this year bring you good luck, fortunes and more, shall we say, love - even if it is of the fleeting kind. :-)

Siam Reap is beautiful and exciting, though I didn't enjoy Linga Bar. We went to Men's Resort & Spa, which is so far and so difficult to find. Our stay there was boring since there were no other customers around aside from us, but the place looked nice and sophisticated. Mas nag-enjoy pa kami dun sa isang spa somewhere near the center of the city. Hehe